Part 7

"So, who do you suppose is in there anyway?" Paige asked, as she, her sisters and Leo stood by the Book of Shadows. Placed on top of the book was the gemstone Paige had managed to take from Garentax as she stabbed his unconscious form.

"I don't know, "Leo said frowning in thought, "but from what you said they have the ability to orb!"

"And freeze!" Piper added, "Not to mention strangle you without being near you!" she continued, rubbing her neck remembering the pain that had been there earlier.

"Well I'm still confused as to where our supposed whitelighter is!" Paige said angrily.

Leo's frown deepened at that, "You haven't seen Chris?"

Piper shook her head, "Not since last night."

At that point Phoebe, who had been staring intensely at the gemstone, reached out and picked it up. Immediately she felt the familiar rushing in her head as she was thrown into a premonition.

Phoebe saw Chris on the floor in P3 and she watched as a white light formed around him. There was a blinding flash and she then saw the quartz gemstone, that was in her hand at this very moment, appear on the floor where Chris had been crouched.

"Oh boy!" Phoebe gasped as she emerged from her vision; "I think I know where Chris is!" she told the others.

"Great! Where?" Piper asked her sister.

Phoebe didn't answer but instead held the gemstone up so that they could have a closer look.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Piper said. But as she looked at the gemstone she, like the others, could make out the small figure that was their young whitelighter-witch inside the gem.

Inside the gemstone Chris was still sitting on the floor. He was holding his head in his hands and his knees drawn up towards him. Tear tracks marked his face; he firmly believed that Phoebe was dead because of his powers. It didn't occur to Chris that he hadn't left the Manor's attic and he didn't register the fact that Garentax's presence had disappeared from his mind. All that he was aware of was the intense guilt and sadness that filled his heart.

Back outside, Phoebe placed the gemstone gently on the table.

"So do you know how to get him out of there?" Piper asked, still trying to come to terms with what had happened.

Phoebe nodded, "When Garentax is vanquished and even if I could release him without doing that I wouldn't." she added solemnly.

Piper raised her eyebrows at this, "Why the hell not?"

"Because the gemstone is the only thing that can defeat Garentax!" Phoebe said, matter-of-factly.

"Oh!" Was all Piper could say in response.

"It says in the book that the wearer will have a perfect telepathic link with the person inside!" Leo said to the sisters.

Phoebe nodded her head slowly, "Then I'll be the one to wear it!"

"Excuse me!" Paige spoke up, "Why you?"

Phoebe started at the question; she couldn't tell them the real reason; which was because she was the only one who knew who Chris really was; so she thought quickly. "Umm because my err empathy will help me to be used to the telepathic link!" she said, "but you two have never well experience that type of thing!"

Piper gave Phoebe a funny look, she thought her sister wasn't telling them something but couldn't put her finger on it. "Fine!" she said after a moment of uneasy silence, "Leo do you think you could watch Wyatt?" she said turning to the elder.

"What if you need healing?" Leo said, "I mean do you and Paige actually need to go, if the gemstone is the only thing that can defeat him?" he continued.

"We need to go in case Garentax has some help and if we need you we'll call!" Piper said evenly.

Leo sighed but agreed and promptly orbed out, presumably downstairs to see to Wyatt.

"Ok let's try this!" Phoebe said, as she picked up the cord of the gemstone and gently placed it over her head. She felt a strange buzz in her head and then the buzz changed until she could hear Chris.

"Phoebe's been stabbed and mom...Oh god mom!" Chris muttered out loud and then almost yelled when he thought of what had happened to Piper. "He strangled her but then what...she can't be dead because I'm still here but what if..."

*Ermm Chris?* Phoebe thought, it felt strange thinking what she wanted to say but she'd probably get used to it.

Chris jumped at the presence in his mind but relaxed when he realised who it was, *Aunt Phoebe? You're alive!* he sent telepathically.

*Well last time I checked...* she replied, laughing silently.

*That's great! I thought I'd killed you!* Chris said, his face showing intense sadness.

Phoebe's heart went out to him,* Aww honey, it wasn't you it was Garentax* she told him, and then began telling Chris all they knew about Garentax.

*Not that I'm not thankful for you guys getting me away from him and all but when are you gonna release me?* Chris asked trying not to sound impatient.

Phoebe sighed, *Umm well you see, the only way to release you is to vanquish Garentax and the umm only way to vanquish him is using a gemstone so I thought because of the whole telepathic link and you not wanting Piper to know who you are yet, I kinda volunteered to wear the gemstone!* she never realised that anyone could mentally ramble but there she had just been.

*Great!* Chris groaned, letting his head hit the wall of the gem, *I go from having one person using my powers against my family, to a member of MY family using my powers!*

*Would you rather I left you in there young man!* Phoebe snapped angrily not quite realising that she sounded like she was scolding a small child.

*No!* Chris replied with a sullen tone, sounding exactly like a scolded child.

*Good!* Phoebe said, *Ok, so your powers...orbing, telekinesis and sensing; those are the ones we know of but when Garentax was here he used Astral Projection and what was that thing with the knife appearing?*

Chris cringed, *did you have to remind me? Umm ok it's I guess a mixture of apportation and psychokinesis.* he replied.

*Ok then!* Phoebe said, she couldn't help noticing that Chris had both Prue's powers and something that was like Paige's. "Umm Piper said she was strangled...*

*Is she ok?* Chris asked quickly, concern evident, "I mean she's not badly hurt or anything right?*

Phoebe smiled at the concern Chris showed for his mother, *She's fine....the strangling?*

*Telekinesis!* he replied.

*Oh!* Now she was certain Prue could never do that, *Umm Piper also said that me and Paige froze, why didn't she?*

Chris sighed deeply, *as I told that Garentax, you can't use her own powers against her!*

*Does that mean you have the ability to freeze!*

Chris nodded and then realising how stupid that was spoke, * Particle Manipulation...both freezing and combustion!*

Phoebe smiled, *Like mother, like son eh?*

Chris grinned and shrugged, *Yeah but mine is controlled differently!* he said and feeling Phoebe confusion he began to explain. "Mom's is triggered by what she wants to do; so if she wants to blow something up it happens when she flicks her hands. Mine's slightly different! My right hand blows things up, left hand freezes things. Both hands is a very cool trick!* he finished with a bigger grin.

*Hope I don't get that mixed up!* Phoebe said, trying to remember to go with left hand if in doubt, wouldn't want to blow something up by mistake.

*There is another power!* Chris said, he felt Phoebe's interest spike, *But you don't need to know it...yet!*

While Chris and Phoebe were talking Piper and Phoebe were looking at Phoebe strangely because her expression kept changing but as they didn't know what she and Chris were talking about it looked really weird.

Leo was back in the attic, having orbed downstairs and then orbed back up with Wyatt.

"So what? She's talking to him now?" Paige asked very confused.

"Holding a telepathic conversation yes" Leo corrected her, "You should leave her to it!"

"I would still like to know why I didn't freeze." Piper said, she had a very strange feeling about that fact but couldn't work out what was bothering her about it.

"Maybe that's because your power is freezing?" Paige suggested.

Leo shook his head, "No that would only be true if someone used her actual power...as in the Halliwell line's power!"

"Oh!" Paige said.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Back in his underground cavern, Garentax finished tending to the knife wound.

"How did it go wrong?" he asked himself angrily and confused, "Well at least I got one of them...the Power of 3 is broken!" he said laughing manically believing that he had killed P